This application pertains to mixers and particularly static mixers having fixed position structural elements that are generally mounted within a length of pipe such that fluids passing through such pipe may be effectively mixed or blended with a wide variety of additives. Such mixers have widespread use such as in municipal and industrial water treatment, chemical blending and chlorination/de-chlorination facilities. A highly effective commercially available mixer of this general type is described in applicant's previous U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,828 issued Nov. 24, 1998 to Robert W. Glanville. The device disclosed in such patent operates in part by creating trailing vortices which produce effective mixing in the fluid stream. The teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,828 are hereby incorporated into the present specification by specific reference thereto.
Despite the availability of adequate mixing devices such as described in the above patent, there is a both a need and desire to achieve the same or better mixing outcome with lower head loss and to accomplish such in the shortest distance downstream from the mixing device. A further object of this invention is the provision of such a device that accomplishes these objectives in a manner that is inexpensive, easy to fabricate from a wide variety of materials and operates in a trouble free manner.
These and other objects are accomplished by the provision of a static mixing device positioned in a conduit and within a fluid stream having a longitudinal flow direction with a passageway, comprising a plurality of mixing vane members forming a set thereof, said vanes spaced generally circumferentially equidistantly within a conduit and radially inwardly extending from a conduit internal wall surface towards the center of a conduit, each of said vane members including a generally oblong plate of planar extent with a generally straight base edge attached to an internal conduit wall and further including a leading edge upstanding from a base edge forward portion to a peak from which, in turn, a rearwardly downwardly curved trailing edge extends and terminates proximal the rear portion of said base edge, each of said plates including a generally triangularly-shaped cap attached and conforming to said curved trailing edge thereof with the cap apex aligned with said leading edge peak so as to form cap undersurfaces and cap top surfaces.
Other objects, features and advantages of the invention shall become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.